88 subcostal retractions were present. Jugular venous pressure and cardiac examination was normal except for the cardiomegaly which was revealed on percussion. Liver was just palpable below the costal margin and was not tender. X-ray chest revealed enlarged cardiac shadow with cardio-thoracic ratio of 0.80 suggestive of pericardial effusion. 2D Echocardiography confirmed the presence of pericar...

Ascites is the pathologic accumulation of fluid within the peritoneal cavity. Because many diseases can cause ascites, in particular cirrhosis, samples of ascitic fluid are commonly analyzed in order to develop a differential diagnosis. The concept of transudate versus exudate, as determined by total protein measurements, is outdated and the use of serum-ascites albumin gradient as an indicator...

SUMMARY The use of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) as a bolster for split-thickness skin grafts has been well documented in the literature. It facilitates the removal of transudate, which can result in the formation of seroma, and mitigates shear stress, which can detach the graft from the underlying wound bed. Its widespread use may be limited by factors such as increased cost and lengt...

To determine the diagnostic significance of physical and biochemical studies, ascitic fluid (AF) of patients with cirrhosis, nephrotic syndrome, congestive cardiac failure, abdominal malignancy and tuberculous peritonitis was examined. AF was colourless transudate in cirrhosis, nephrotic syndrome and congestive cardiac failure. Lowest values for proteins were observed in nephrotic syndrome and ...

X.-L. Tan, MD, PhD Q.-D. Yang, MD, MSc X.-J. Liu, MD B. Xiao, MD, PhD B.-S. Tang, MD A 39-year-old woman developed orthostatic headache. Cranial MRI indicated spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) (figure, A). Spinal MRI suggested CSF leaks at C1–2, C2–3, and C5–6 levels (figure, B and C), but both radionuclide cisternography and CT myelography (immediate and 3-hour delayed scanning) showe...

The use of exogenous surfactants has been introduced into the therapy of patients of different ages. Much better results have been obtained in the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome with surfactants enriched with surfactant proteins. In the following study we used protein-containing surfactants (survanta and curosurf). The aim of the following study was to determine the localisation of ...

The method of Garra and Baygorria, for localized antibody production, has been adapted for obtaining high-titered and monospecific antibodies against the murine toxin of Yersinia pestis. A hollow, perforated plastic golf ball surgically implanted under the skin of rabbits induced the formation of a granuloma. When the murine toxin of Y. pestis was injected directly into the granulomatous cavity...

Rickettsiosis, Q fever, tularemia, and anthrax are all bacterial diseases that can affect the pleura. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) and Mediterranean Spotted Fever (MSF) are caused by Rickettsia rickettsii and Rickettsia conorii, respectively. Pleural fluid from a patient with MSF had a neutrophil-predominant exudate. Coxiellaburnetii is the causative agent of Q fever. Of the two cases de...

As programs to prevent and care for HIV-infected persons are scaled-up in Africa, there is the need for continuous evaluation of the performance of test kits that could best support these programs. The present study evaluated the sensitivity, specificity, ease of use, and cost of AWARE Blood Serum Plasma (BSP) and Oral Mucosal Transudate (OMT) Rapid HIV-1/2 test kits using real-time and archive...